“You really think you can keep her safe at your place, man? What happens if someone comes through the door at you?”
Aidan shrugged. “I shoot ‘em in their goddamn heads.”
They all stared at him again.
“You know how to use a gun?” Jax said.
“Hell, yeah,” Aidan said. “I used to be DEA back in Dallas.”
For the second time that night, King and Jax found they were totally shocked by a piece of information.
“You were what?” Jax said, sure that none of that had been on Aidan’s resume when he’d applied for the bartending job.
“DEA.” Aidan narrowed his eyes. “I can handle a weapon, believe me.”
“Oh, I do,” King said, almost amused now; he’d long suspected that there was way more to Aidan than met the eye. Easygoing bartender, my ass. “You still registered to own and carry? All legal and shit? You can still shoot straight?”
“Yep.”
“OK, then. Gabi stays with you.”
“Um,” she began again, feeling like this conversation was getting out of control. “I don’t know if –”
“End of discussion,” Aidan cut her off, then he took a breath and calmed down. “Look… the end just for now, OK? You come and stay with me tonight, let King talk to this punk in the next room. You’ll be safe and we’ll talk about it some more tomorrow, alright?”
She thought about that. It was almost three o’clock in the morning and her throat hurt worse now than it had two hours before. Aidan looked wrecked and she thought that his back was hurting him, though he wouldn’t say a word, she knew. She’d dragged Jax and King out of bed, King still had to talk to the younger man before he could leave, Curtis should have gone home an hour ago. Despite her disrupting their lives, all they wanted was to keep her safe. The least she could do was cooperate for one night.
“Yes,” she said. “I – I think that’s the best idea. Thanks, Aidan.”
“Alright,” Jax said. “Anybody else have any more surprises to offer up tonight? Let’s get it all out on the table, yeah?”
“I – I have a sister,” Gabi said hesitantly. “Do you think they’d hurt her?”
“And the hits just keep on coming,” Jax muttered. “I thought you were an only child?”
“I was, until a year ago.”
“OK, what?” Aidan said.
“Her name’s Maria Torres and she’s my half-sister, actually. I never even knew she existed until a year ago when I found some papers in my Dad’s things after his funeral. Turns out, he had an affair with a woman and she got pregnant. Maria was the result.” Gabi sighed. “Her Mom gave her up and Maria was raised in the foster care system. I made contact and we’re not close or anything, but we do talk a few times a week and we spent Christmas together. We’re getting to know each other.”
“Is she here in Denver?” King said.
“Kind of. She’s about two hours away at Open Skies Ranch. She works at the front desk and she’s got a place in Clarity, about ten minutes from Open Skies.” She looked up at King, starting to feel panic move across her chest. “Do you think they’d try to get to her? I mean, I don’t know how they’d ever find out about Maria but if there’s a chance, then I need to make sure she’s safe.”
“Damn.” King closed his eyes briefly. “We need to get her away from there, just to be sure.”
“Can you send one of your team?” Jax said.
“Nope. They’re all working out of state.”
“OK. So I’ll send Dillon.”
“Dillon?” Gabi said, startled. “You think he’s able to handle trouble like this?”
“Oh, God, girl.” Aidan laughed. “He’s a former SEAL. Dillon can handle shit, believe me.”
“A SEAL?” she said, wondering why he was bouncing at Curves if he had those kinds of qualifications.
“Yeah, all my bouncers are ex-military,” Jax said. “With the kind of assholes we get in here sometimes, I need the best people on protection.”
“Oh.” Gabi blinked, suddenly exhausted by everything. How the hell did I not know this about the guys? “OK, then.”
“So can you call Maria?” King said gently. “Tell her what’s going on and let her know that Dillon’s coming to get her? He’ll bring her back here and then we’ll figure out what to do. Maybe you and Maria can stay at the safe house together until we sort this whole thing out.”
Gabi nodded, rubbing her eyes.
Aidan looked at her, saw her fear and tiredness. Right away, he softened. “You doing OK?”
“Yeah.” She managed a small smile. “I’ll call Maria now.”
“Alright.” Jax stood up. “I’ll talk to Dillon and I’ll fill in Curtis and Wes. King, you want to talk to the asshole next door alone while I do that?”
“Oh, man,” King said. “It’ll be my absolute pleasure. Let me at him.”
**
“How the fuck did this go so wrong?” Trigger roared. “You fucking morons! All you had to do was shove an unconscious girl out a goddamn window!”
“We had her,” Don protested. “And then that asshole bartender showed up and started throwing knives.” He rubbed at the bandaged wound on his chest gingerly. The cut wasn’t deep, but it was smack in the middle of his chest. He was absolutely certain that the man had hit precisely where he’d aimed – and he hadn’t thrown with anything like all his strength. Don was sure the guy had held back, not wanting to actually kill him. Fucking pussy.
“Bartender?” Trigger said. “You mean Carter?”
“Dunno,” Lizard said. “Blond bastard with a redneck drawl.”
“Yeah, that’s Carter. Fuck.” Trigger paced, thinking hard. “Joker’s gonna lose his shit when he finds out that his cousin is still there.”
“Yeah, well, the kid knows exactly nothing. What the hell can he tell them that they won’t be able to figure out on their own?”
“Yeah, that’s true.” Trigger sucked in air. “So, I guess we just wait. I expect to hear from someone at that end shortly.”
Don and Lizard exchanged startled looks.
“Why?” Lizard asked.
“Because I know these assholes. Hamill, Kingston, Carter, the bouncers. They all look at the big picture and they’ll be looking for a solution to this mess and they’ll need to talk to me for that to happen. They won’t go to the cops, not right away.”
“And what are you going to agree to?” Don said.
“None of your fucking business. You had one job and you screwed it up beyond all belief… you think I’m breaking my neck to trust you with anything? Christ, I wouldn’t even trust you to hold your own dicks to take a piss now.”
Both men flushed, angry and embarrassed. Yeah, they’d fucked this night up, no doubt about that. But they’d do anything at all to make it right.
“We’ll help you fix this, man,” Don said. “Anything you need, we’re in.”
Trigger glared at them, already deciding how to make them disappear. “I’ll think about it. Now get the hell out of here and send Joker in. I need to talk to him about his idiot cousin who couldn’t even stand outside a goddamn door without screwing the pooch. Fucking amateurs.”
**
King emerged from the crash room looking grim. He nodded at Curtis and Wes, who went in and closed the door, and then King and Jax looked at each other.
“My office?” Jax said.
“Damn right.”
They walked down the hall and in to Jax’s private office. King sat on the sofa and sighed.
“So,” he said. “One guess who the asshole is.”
“Hit me with it.” Jax leaned back.
“Warren Kane.”
“Kane?” Jax said. “Goddamn. How many of these idiots are running around that loser family?”
“No idea. This is an out-of-to
wn asshole, though. According to his driver’s license, he’s from Kentucky.”
“So they’re importing the Kane clan to Denver now. Terrific.”
“Right? Anyway, he told me that his cousin Donovan put his name up for prospect so here he is, looking to continue the Kane family tradition of joining the Fallen Angels.”
“Nice to see a young man with ambition, I suppose.”
“Normally I support that, as you know, but in this case, I’m not crazy about it,” King said. “He seems to be a nice kid, actually. Not all that bright, but harmless. I think he just did what he was told.”
“Which was what?”
“To stand outside that door.”
“That’s it?”
“Yep. He’s not telling me anything about why Trigger wants Gabi, or what he’ll do to her once he gets her. He says he knows nothing about Santos, nothing about nothing, really.”
“That little punk’s actually holding out on you?” Jax shook his head. “I guess he has a death wish, huh?”
“Oh, no, he’s not holding out, believe me. I can be very… persuasive, shall we say, if I really want to know something and I used all my powers of persuasion with him. No, he’s not talking because he truly knows jack-shit. My guess is that they didn’t give him a single clue what they were involving him in. All he knows is the other two guys are called Don and Lizard – guess which one’s which – and they’re from upstate. They aren’t even MC members, just kind of petty criminals for hire.”
“Can you use that somehow? Have him talk to the cops about the plan to kidnap Gabi?”
“Not really. He’s not terrifically useful that way – but I hope we can use him.”
Jax twigged right away. “Trade Warren Kane back to the MC for Gabi’s safety?”
“Without Santos' body, it’s the best we can do for now. And it’s worth a try, right?”
“Damn right it is.”
There was a knock at the door.
“Yeah, come in,” Jax called.
Gabi, Aidan and Dillon were standing there, looking harassed and worried.
“What?” King said.
“I can’t get a hold of Maria,” Gabi said. “I think her phone is off… at least, I hope it is.” She looked scared to death. “You think they have her?”
“OK, calm down,” Jax said gently. “You have her address in Clarity?”
“No. We met at Open Skies every time I went up there, and every other time she came to Denver and stayed with me.” Gabi looked like she was seconds away from bursting in to tears. “You think she’s hurt? You think –”
“Whoa,” Aidan said and put his arm around her. “Don’t do that, OK? Maybe she just turns her phone off when she goes to bed. Or maybe she’s working the night shift at the hotel and has her phone in her locker or something.”
Gabi relaxed a bit. “Yeah. Maybe.”
“So Dillon will head out to Open Skies Ranch right now. He’ll ask at the front desk, try to get Maria’s home address. If they won’t give it up, he’ll wait for her to show up for work in the morning. Alright?”
“I guess so.” Gabi still looked upset. “It’s not great, but I guess it’s all we’ve got.”
“It’s OK, hon,” Dillon said. “I’m already all packed and ready to go. I’ll drive like hell and be there in ninety minutes, let you guys know what’s happening as soon as I can. Yes?”
Gabi nodded. “Thanks, Dillon.”
“Sure.” He looked at King. “Anything else?”
“You carrying?”
“Yep. Always.”
“Use it if you have to, man. These boys don’t fuck around.”
“Oh, I know, believe me.” Dillon smiled without any humor whatsoever. “I’ll pull if I have to, shoot if I have no choice. No regrets after, either.”
“OK, then,” Jax said. “Call in as soon as you find Maria.”
“Saunders?” King’s voice was authoritative and completely no-bullshit. “You don’t come back from Open Skies without that woman, you hear me? Whatever you have to do to get her to Denver and in the safe house, you do it. You hear me?”
“Loud and clear, King.” He turned and left the room, shutting the door behind him.
Gabi suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion wash over her, almost drowning her completely. Fear, worry and guilt were all mixing together and consuming her: if anything happened to Maria, she’d never forgive herself. Not ever.
“OK, Gabi,” King said gently. “You go home with Aidan. Try to get some rest and we’ll take this up again tomorrow.”
She doubted very much she’d sleep, but she nodded anyway. “OK. Thank you, guys. I’m so, so sorry I dragged you all in to this mess. I really didn’t want to.”
“It’s fine,” Jax said. “You know how much we all crave a bit of excitement in our dull lives.”
She was so surprised at his sweet humor at such an awful time, she actually laughed. “Oh, yeah. I know.”
“Come on, Gabriela.” Aidan wanted nothing more than to get her back to his place, behind locked doors. “Pack a bag and let’s go. Now.”
**
“So.” Donovan ‘Joker’ Kane was pretty damn far from being in a jokey mood. “They have Warren.”
Trigger nodded. “Yeah. Don and Lizard fucked the whole thing up beyond belief, man, and your cousin is one of the casualties.”
Kane cursed under his breath. “So what’s the plan?”
“Right now we wait.” Trigger looked around the club conference room, feeling like he never left it anymore. Ever since this whole fuck-up with Gabriela Torres had started, Trigger had been in crisis mode and damage control, yet the situation just kept getting worse at roughly the speed of light. “I imagine that fucker King will reach out to us some time soon. He’ll take his time, try to make us sweat a bit, but he’ll some knocking at the door in the next few days wanting to chat.”
“Yeah,” Ace agreed. “You know what he’s like, man. He’s all about the goddamn conversation. Fucker might as well be a bitch.”
“But what the fuck do we even have to talk about?” Kane objected. “Do we really care about getting Warren back?”
“Of course not,” Trigger said. “But they don’t know that, do they?”
Kane’s dark eyes glinted. “You gonna use that somehow?”
“Yeah, sure. Let them think that they’ve got our man and that we actually give a shit. It’ll give them a – a what is it? False sense of superiority.”
Security, Kane thought and reflected for about the millionth time that Trigger MacGee was a fucking moron. The only reason the man was the MC President was because he’d pull a trigger without a second thought – on enemies and friends. His rep was legendary and with Trigger in charge, the Fallen Angels had quickly become the most feared club in the state and even beyond. But the man was still an idiot.
The truth was that the club’s financial success was mostly because of Trigger’s decision to do Kirk Jensen’s dirty work. It was, Kane thought, the only smart thing that MacGee had ever done and it meant, in essence, that Jensen did all the thinking and the Angels just did what he said. Jensen was the brains; Trigger and his boys were the muscle. Win-win, all around.
This Gabriela Torres disaster was a perfect example of what happened every time Trigger MacGee was expected to think, plan, lead. Naturally it was a complete clusterfuck and Kane would have taken bets on things ending up this way. The Torres bitch was probably in one of the King’s Men safe houses being guarded by enough ammo to take down a small country, all those Curves fuckers were on full alert, King was involved (which was always bad fucking news), Warren was a hostage, Don and Lizard were major liabilities.
Yep, Trigger’s in charge, for sure.
“Right.” Kane fought back his sneer at Trigger’s dumb-assery. “So, what? When King comes looking to negotiate, we a
ct like we give a shit about getting Warren back?”
“Yeah,” Trigger said. “Make him think that he’s got something to bargain with. He’ll offer to trade your cousin for something – I’m guessing that bitch’s safety – and we’ll agree.”
“And the minute we get Warren back, all bets are off?”
“Yeah.” Trigger shrugged, his blue eyes dead and expressionless. “We let things cool off for a few days, make ‘em think that we’re going along with the agreement… then we get rid of Torres.”
“But why?” Ace said, this part of the plan still beyond him. “I mean, forget Warren, OK? But if the Torres bitch agrees to shut the fuck up, then why not let it all go? The second we kill her, King’s gonna be down on us like a ton of bricks and that’s not nice to think about.”
Trigger stared at his VP in disgust. “Because I don’t negotiate or do deals, fuckhead, and I don’t want to get a rep for doing it, not even once. Also? I don’t believe that she’ll never talk, OK? It may not be this year or in the next ten years – but she will talk one day. All bitches do, they can’t help it and I ain’t waiting around for that to happen. And finally? So what if they know who killed the cunt? Who cares if King gets all pissy about it and starts to watch us more carefully? Every fucking cop in the state and King’s Men already watch us like hawks. How would it be any different to what we have now?”
“It’d be personal,” Kane pointed out. “That always makes people act different, for damn sure.”
“Maybe.” Trigger shrugged. “But even if he’s ready to kill us, Kingston won’t… that ain’t his style ‘cause the man’s a fucking pussy. And anyway, it’s all about what he and the cops can actually prove, yeah? It’s always about that, remember. I don’t care what the hell they think we’ve done – or even what they know we’ve done. For those assholes, it’s always about what they can prove in court that we’ve done. If Torres’ body never shows up, what will they have on us that can stand up in front of a judge and jury?”
Kane had to reluctantly admit that Trigger was making sense. Surely hell had just turned in to a goddamn skating rink and he fought the urge to look out the window to see if pigs were flying on past.
Killer Curves (Dangerous Curves Book 3) Page 8
